So, after a long while I finally have picked up [Nicholas Eames’s “Kings of The Wyld”.](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30841984) It’s a book I’ve had on my shelves for forever, by request of my Dad, who absolutely devoured the book when he first read it. And, this is me basically saying… yeah, it was worth the hype. I don’t see a ton of people talking about this book anymore, which is a damn shame because it has no business being as good as it is. There’s so many great moments of masterful writing here, and the balance between good character development, witty quips and exciting battles is simply perfect. I never felt like the story dragged even once, and all the different elements it combined and characters it juggled were handled so well. Not one of the characters felt like a bore, even the ones you only meet for a few pages. But, what I loved most about this book is that it takes everything you think a fantasy, band-goes-to-collect-object-in-distant-dangerous-land fantasy and subverts *all* your expectations. Every time Eames set up a scenario I was so sure that I knew how it was gonna play out, and then was delightfully surprised when he not only changed the game but changed the game with intention. There’s a certain attitude you go into a book with when you hear “this disgruntled group of older heroes go back into battle again”, as if we’ve all seen something like this before. But the heart, charm and originality of this story is really what makes this worth a read (and maybe eventually a re-read). Even the more modern elements of it, like the idea of fantasy bands in a more modern fantasy world, was handled super well.
Anyways, that’s more about me gushing about how much I enjoyed this read, and if you haven’t read it yet and have even the slightest interest in fantasy, I’d give it a chance. It’ll be worth it! Neither my Dad and I have read the second book yet, and I don’t know if I will just because I’ve heard that it isn’t as good and this book’s ending wrapped up the story quite well (bonus points for a standalone fantasy novel this good!). Let me know what you thought about it if you’ve read it though!
by penguin-47284